Piper PA-28-180 accident near Mullan, Idaho, October 14, 1990
On October 14, 1990 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N4924L, was destroyed in an accident near Mullan, Idaho. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC). THE ADVERSE WEATHER AND TERRAIN CONDITIONS WERE RELATED FACTORS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 14, 1990 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mullan, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N4924L · no longer on the register · serial 28-4290
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON A VFR FLIGHT FROM BOZEMAN, MT, TO SPOKANE, WA. THE LAST COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE AIRCRAFT WERE WHEN IT CROSSED MISSOULA, MT. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND LATER NEAR THE SUMMIT OF LOST TRAIL PASS, NEAR MULLAN, ID. MOUNTAIN TOPS WERE REPORTED OBSCURED DURING THE APPROXIMATE TIME FRAME THAT THE AIRCRAFT WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE VICINITY. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OF THE AIRCRAFT/ENGINE WAS REPORTED.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 524 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 479 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,143 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 6, 1990; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BZN Bozeman MT at 6:51 pm
- Destination: SFF Spokane WA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 8:54 pm from S06
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.